Buildings

Buildings

Using both new technologies and old traditions, architects and developers around the world are finding better, more natural ways to build, light, heat and cool our buildings.

At the United Nations we are working hard to ensure that our buildings have a reduced environmental impact, are pleasant to work in and are efficiently run.

The SUN team is providing support to many new building projects across the United Nations, including the Capital Master Plan in New York, the One UN buildings in country offices and the New Office Facility in Nairobi.

The team also provides support and guidance to facility managers, showcasing how our existing buildings can be managed in ways that are more respectful to the environment, better for our people and more efficient for our purse.

Examples of our work

Policy advice:

Much of SUN's work is done through the UN Interagency Network of Facilities Managers (INFM), which meets annually to discuss common issues within facilities management and to inform policy-level decisions. Experiences and good practices from different duty stations around the world are shared and specific technical working groups to address new trends in facilities management. SUN is currently leading the sustainability working group.

Tools:

Opportunities to improve the performance of buildings depend first on how a building is designed and constructed, and second on how it is maintained and operated. In this context, SUN provides the following tools: